"It's been a long haul. It's been three years since Irene hit and Waterbury has been waiting patiently to get to this point," said Eileen Peltier of the Central Vermont Community Land Trust, or CVCLT.

When the storm roared through the region, it turned Ladd Hall as well as other building in the State Office Complex in to a water-logged mess and were put out of commission by merciless flooding.

On Tuesday, that same site will now be home to a 27-unit affordable housing apartment building added on to the existing Ladd Hall.

"It would've been an even greater disaster than Irene if Waterbury was allowed to fail, but it won't fail. It's going to succeed," said Sen. Patrick Leahy.

Leahy joined the CVCLT, Housing Vermont and others who made the Main Street Apartments possible for its groundbreaking.

Before the storm, CVCLT wanted to build affordable housing in town but had difficult finding an open site in Waterbury to build on. When Irene struck, although it dealt the community a huge blow, it also created an opportunity for the group.

"You don't want to ask for a flood, but the flood gave us this site, truthfully. So we took the opportunity to make this project happen," said Peltier.

The $6.7 million project is funded by about a dozen organizations and it expected to be open in a little less than a year.

WE'RE CLOSING WE'RE CLOSING IN ON THE THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF TROPICAL STORM IRENE ... IT'S BEEN A LONG ROAD BACK FROM ALL THE DAMAGE THAT STORM DID -- BUT ONE COMMUNITY IS CELEBRATING IT'S PROGRESS... WPTZ'S VANESSA MISCIAGNA HAS MORE ON WATERBURY'S COMEBACK ... nat construction ON AN AUGUST MORNING ... CREWS IN WATERBURY ARE RAMPING UP WORK... NAT more contruction IT'S SOUNDS, WELL, LIKE CONSTRUCTION... BUT FOR THE ONES BEHIND THE PROJECT... IT'S SOUNDS MORE LIKE A LONG AWAITED VISION FINALLY GETTING PUT IN THE GROUND... eileen peltier/ cvclt 10:23:51 - 10;23;59 it's been a long haul, it's been three years since irene hit and waterbury's been waiting patiently to get to this point NEARLY THREE YEARS TO THE DAY.. LADD HALL -- WHICH IS IN THE OLD STATE OFFICE COMPLEX--- WAS A WATER-LOGGED MESS. IT AND OTHER GOVERNENT BUILDINGS.. PUT OUT OF COMMISSION FROM MERCILESS FLOODING.. NAT applause? FAST FORWARD... AND A 27-UNIT AFFORDABLE HOUSING APARTMENT BUILDING IS NOW BEING ADDED ON TO THE EXISTING HALL.. LEAHY 10;21;55 - 10;22;03 I knew I wanted to see waterbury come back, I heard everyone else, we want it to come back, in the governemt and all, and it's coming back SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY JOINED THE CENTRAL VERMONT COMMUNITY LAND TRUST, HOUSING VERMONT, AND OTHERS WHO MADE THE MAIN STREET APARTMENTS POSSIBLE FOR ITS GROUNDBREAKIN G. LEAHY 10;22;11 - 10;22;18 it would have been an even greater disaster than irene if waterbury was allowed to fail, but it wont fail, it's going to succeed CVCLT WANTED TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN TOWN BEFORE IRENE STRUCK.. AND ALTHOUGH THE STORM DEALT A HUGE BLOW TO THE COMMUNITY, IT CREATED AN opportunity FOR THE GROUP EILEEN 10;25;58 - 10;26;06 you don't want to ask for a flood.... But the flood gave us this site for us truthfully so we took the oppotunity to make this project happen STAND UP 10;37;53 - 10;38;08 a Wing of the building has been demolished and construction started. This 6.7 million doillar project is being funding by about a dozen sources but leaders say it wouldn't have even gotten off the ground if the community did not make this a priority eileen 10;25;06 - 10;25;13 it's just an incredible coming together of people but it's really about the commitment and passion to making it happen PASSION AWAKENED BY TRAGEDY AND IS NOW THE FUEL... CREATING - IN A YEAR- WHAT WILL BE THE NEW HOME TO 27 DESERVING FAMILIES IN WATERBURY, VM, WPTZ, NC5